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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22788415">Memories of the Brotherhood</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Stressed_Cupcake/pseuds/A_Stressed_Cupcake'>A_Stressed_Cupcake</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Background Relationships, Flashbacks, Gen, I REGRET NOTHING, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, The Brotherhood of the dark Kingdom, we get to see them as children ladies and gents</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 17:21:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22788415</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Stressed_Cupcake/pseuds/A_Stressed_Cupcake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A little headcanon exploration of the Brotherhood and their past which I'd like to expand upon.</p><p>Aka: The author is morbidly curious about these three people in particular and writes them way too much.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Quirin &amp; Adira &amp; Hector, The Brotherhood - Relationship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653301</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is all one big headcanon. None of this has been confirmed or denied but I have many many ideas about it.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>"It can't hurt to look!" Hector insisted. His hand was already on the door.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"We'll get caught." Adira protested, "Just like last time. If you wanna get in trouble, you can do that by yourself. We're not going."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector stubbornly tapped against the doorframe: "But don't you want to know what everyone's so worked up about?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"We're not going!!" she insisted.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She was only 8, but she was a cautious child. Her eyes drifted to the eldest in the group then: "Quirin, we're not going. Right?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No." he agreed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector scoffed in disdain. He wasn't happy with their decision, clearly, but they all knew he couldn't get them to do anything they didn't want to do. "Come on!!" he insisted, "The adults are hiding something. Do you want to be in the dark about it?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No." Quirin sighed, "But maybe it's the best thing to do. We don't know what it is. What if we're not supposed to know? What if we don't want to know?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"But I do want to know!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Then go there yourself." Adira stood her ground.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Fine!" he shouted, already marching out the door.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hector, come back here!!" the eldest protested, "We just said it was a bad idea!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you</span>
  <em>
    <span> said it's a bad idea. Adira said I should go alone, so that's what I'll do."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His statement probably would've been more effective if he'd kept walking away instead of turning back just to say it to Quirin's face. The boy raised his hands in a pacifying gesture.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"We shouldn't split up." he stated. He shook his head and his hair tickled his cheeks. It used to be shorter. He would probably trim it soon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah!" Adira agreed, suddenly on his side, "Mother said we have to stay here. Together."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Your mother always says that, but she never checks. She wouldn't find out." Hector observed. The girl raised her brow in disagreement: "She would absolutely find out."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I agree." mumbled Quirin, "She always finds us. You know that."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"There's a first time for everything."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"And maybe today is not it." the eldest shrugged, "Let's do something else. How about we play knights?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His lip tugged upward as he watched his companions' faces light up. As expected.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I want to be the Moon Knight!!" Adira exclaimed, throwing her right arm up like a student who knew the answer to her teacher's question.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector groaned loudly: "But you're always the Moon Knight! I want to be the Moon Night!!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No! You were the Moon last time!" the girl claimed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Was not!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Was too!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector turned to their quiet friend: "She was the Moon last time!"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"That's true." Quirin agreed, "Come on, Adira. You know the rules."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She blew her hair away from her face with a scowl, but admitted defeat.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You can be the Star Knight if you want." Quirin compromised, "I like the Sun Knight better anyway."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Her face lit up.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The rest of the afternoon was spent clashing wooden swords in a neverending tournament to determine the best knight. The secret of the adults was completely forgotten.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Quirin never really stopped hiding secrets. It was a universal truth in his mind that every secret had good reason to be kept as such and should not be tampered with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So he wasn't quite sure why he'd taken his gloves off to harvest the pumpkins. It was such a nice day, he reasoned, and even if someone did see his tattoo they would have no idea what it meant. He wasn't worried whenever Varian passed by to carry a single pumpkin with his little arms, because he didn't know either, and that was just fine for the moment. It wasn't necessary knowledge. He was still a child who needed to have a childhood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rarely thought about the days of his own childhood. The memories could hardly be considered amusing in his circumstances, although they remained incredibly fond. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just when he caught himself smiling at the noise of wooden sticks clashing against each other in a pretend battle to the death that the wave came. It washed over him in what amounted to less than a second, but the effect lingered. He shook his head at the sudden chill. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For just a moment, he could've sworn his hand was glowing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>His hand hurt. He'd never been more proud of himself. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector stared at the mark on his left hand with barely contained joy. He couldn't wait for the ceremony to be officially over so they could celebrate properly. He glanced at the sides of the room, where his companions stood. Quirin was still cradling his aching hand behind his back, but he seemed happy. Adira, on her part, had a smile of smug satisfaction on her face as she brushed her fingers against the still irritated skin that held the ink.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The King told him to rise. He stood on legs that trembled with emotion; Hector, barely seventeen and already a member of the Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They dismissed the three of them a few minutes later.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He was the first to say what they'd all been thinking. "We did it!" he exclaimed, raising his tattooed hand to the night sky.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"All on the same day, too." Adira chuckled. She kicked a rock aside as they walked down the street to return to their shared home. She looked proud of herself, more satisfied with her skills than ever; she looked like she was giving herself a metaphysical pat on the back.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quirin smiled quietly and nodded. He was past twenty by that point. He seemed to be completely lost in thought, perhaps reflecting on what he'd expected to do when he was older and where he was then. It had actually been his fault that all three enrolled and, although neither Hector nor Adira would ever refer to it as a fault, he was the only one of them that had expressed doubts in his path. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"My father wants me to become a servant to the King." he'd admitted one day, when they'd confronted him about his melancholy mood, "I don't like it."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"That means you'll have to go live in the Court…" Adira had observed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Yeah…" the eldest scratched the back of his head, "I don't want to leave."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector had stopped to think for a moment. "What if we came along?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quirin had laughed humorlessly for a while before realizing: "Oh. You actually… mean it?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I mean it. I've always wanted to be a knight."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Me too." Adira chimed in, "Maybe mother would be more willing to let me try if you're there too."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They both knew the little spark in their friend's eyes. He wouldn't say it, but he was happy. He was happy nine years later, too, when they all walked together down the road, but the spark of melancholy never left his eyes in their fifteen years together.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed tiredly as the stick he was trying to prop up dropped into his unlit little pyre. He didn't regret his training for a moment. What he did regret was trying to make sense of everything when they'd parted ways not even three years after they were officially initiated. He'd been angry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He'd felt betrayed. Brothers and sisters, they'd called each other, and now every disagreement felt like the progressive destruction of a family that had held its head high for years, side by side. The memory of Adira's hands, Adira, who always hated being touched, pulling him out of the way of the crumbling Great Tree of Zhan Tiri, still haunted him; and sometimes, when he closed his eyes, he could see the sickly golden glow of amber lingering just behind his eyelids.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hector felt the horn of his rhino poke his shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What is it?" he asked, but the animal just lay its head down on its legs to rest beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed again as he lowered his own head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was when the wave passed. He could almost hear the whisper in his ear, the whisper of his master, the Moonstone. It called to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She really had to wonder why on earth the window was open. Did they have any regards for safety at all? Was this even the right house?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It didn’t matter anyway, since it allowed her to get in. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No one was there. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What are you doing here, Adira?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nevermind then.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She turned around to face her companion: "Just dropping by to say hi." she shrugged.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He raised his brow at her: "Through the window?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Force of habit." she said without a hint of regret.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He sighed tiredly, placing the candle he was holding down on a shelf before letting himself fall into an armchair with an air of exhausted dignity.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"It's been a long day." he mumbled, "If you want to say something, say it now."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She stared him up and down.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Why are you so… contrary to seeing me?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'm not." he clarified, "I'm glad to see you. But here and now? Not the right time. And if you're here to try to convince me to get back to our old tricks, the right time is never."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No." she said, "I know you don't want anything to do with the Brotherhood anymore. But you've seen what the King did. Something must be done about that."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quirin looked at her with tired eyes. "You think I didn't try to dissuade him? He wouldn't have it. And now, it's too late to do anything. Whatever is on the way, it's not good, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Right now, there's nothing I can do."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"There must be." she insisted, "Quirin, you know there is more to this than a simple mista-"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Ever the idealist, sister."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They didn't say anything. There was no need. They'd know that voice anywhere.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Adira turned to their brother: "You know, they say three is a crowd."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I didn't foresee you being here." he shrugged.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I didn't foresee either of you being here, but here we are." Quirin mumbled in clear irritation. His hand was fidgeting restlessly with the rim of the glove which concealed his tattoo. He wasn't happy.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I just wanted to say hi." Hector justified himself, or tried to, anyway.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"So did she, or so I'm told…" the man sighed, "Do either of you ever just knock?"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>An awkward silence befell them.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"I'm not coming with you." Quirin stated. "Either of you." he specified, looking them both in the eye before standing from his chair. The candlelight cast long shadows on his face, that burrowed into every nook and cranny of his aging skin. Adira gave his gloved hand a quiet glance. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Why?" she asked, "You were with us. You bear the mark of the Brotherhood just as we do. I don't understand w-"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"No." he glared, "Don't lump me in with you. You had a choice from the beginning. You could've led any life you wanted to, and you chose the Brotherhood. I didn't get to choose. Until now."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He looked at them with tired eyes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Brother, sister…" he sighed, "If the time we spent together means anything to you, then please. Leave."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hector's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly. She had to wonder if he was feeling the same stab in the heart that she did.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You had what you wanted." Quirin continued, "If you really do want the best for me, let me have what I wanted too."</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They left without another word. Hector disappeared before she could exchange a single word with him. Under the cover of darkness, she gave the room one last glance. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quirin had crumbled back onto his chair and his gloved hand now shielded his eyes from sight. The door creaked, but he didn't turn.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She watched as a woman in red quietly approached him, setting her hand on his shoulder in support. Then, and only then, did his hand fall away from his eyes. The woman wrapped her arms around his shoulders.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Before Adira left, she could just notice the way the lady carried herself, the way Quirin's hand lingered on her slightly swollen belly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That was the last she saw of the woman, outside of a portrait. That was also the moment she decided that her brother deserved to be left alone.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The valley was unusually quiet that day. Never a good sign. Her concentration broke over and over again as she attempted to just forget about the feeling of dread that tugged insistently at her gut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn't like it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She closed her eyes again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deep breaths.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air flowed in and out of her lungs. Pollen tickled her nose, but it didn't matter. The smell of the pines and the flowers was a pleasant blanket of comfort but, on that day, it felt more like a sheet of thin linen, riddled with holes. Even that pleasant smell couldn't protect her from the outside world without the fabric of the noise of the forest woven into it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She breathed again, trying to push out the feeling that was settling in the lower part of her lungs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She almost made it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A chill not unlike that of a sudden splash of cold water shot up her spine and her eyes flew open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her concentration was broken for good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A new, persistent thought made its way into her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Moonstone called to her.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I just really like these three okay? Leave me alone   ;-;<br/>I have a lot of ideas for the Brotherhood's past. If you'd like me to write more, I might make this a series.<br/>I have another TTS story in the works but it's my first time publishing anything for this fandom and I'm sUpEr NeRvOuS-</p><p>Leave a comment  :3</p><p>-Cass</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Now with fanart!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Inserting images is a pain. Who'd've thunk it.</p><p>Edit: Link should be fixed now</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <a href="https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1-0BTWAf_bcqrwqY4x2r-yjhrhnrmwzfx">https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1-0BTWAf_bcqrwqY4x2r-yjhrhnrmwzfx</a>
</p><p> </p><p>They are small. These are the designs I kinda had in mind while writing the children? Idk I tried to draw but my colouring is oOf</p><p>I hope the folder works.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I don't know.<br/>I'm going to bed  :/</p><p>-Cass</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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